SERMON XVII.

And He said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember
me when Thou comest into thy Kingdom.

And Jesus said unto Him, Verily, I say unto thee, To day shalt
thou be with
me in Paradise.

IN my last Discourse, (which was upon the Account given us, in these Words, of the happy Ending of the Life of one of the
Malefactors crucified with our blessed
Lord,) I proposed four Heads: three of which I them went over; and 374
shall now proceed to the fourth, after I have made way for it, by
reminding you of what I then, as I hope, very evidently proved.

IN discoursing on the first, I shewed you, that this Malefactor was one who,
as soon as He had a fair Opportunity of knowing the Truth concerning the
Character
of our blessed Lord, and of hearing the Evidence of his Pretensions, did sincerely
lay hold on it; and profess himself his Disciple: and behave himself as such,
amidst the Calumnies and Reproaches of all about him: and that for this Belief,
and Profession; not merely, or chiefly, on account of his Sense of his past
Sins; He was accepted, by our Lord, to Mercy.

UNDER the second Head, I went on to shew you, that it was one
professed part
of the Gospel, preached both by Christ and his Apostles, that whosoever should lay
hold on the Opportunity offered by the Providence of God; and should accept of
the Terms proposed in the Gospel; and believe in Jesus Christ with an honest and
sincere Heart; and make open Profession of this Belief: that every such Person,375I say, should be accepted to Favour; and effectually acquitted from the Guilt
of his past Sins, whether He should live a short, or a long, Time after this Profession;
supposing Him to behave himself, during
that Time, agreeably to it. And, in consequence of this, I proved to you that this Thief on the Cross, having sincerely laid
hold on the Opportunity offered
to Him by Providence; having come to the Knowledge of our Lord’s Character, and of
the Evidence he gave of the Truth of his Divine Mission; and having, upon this, professed
himself his Disciple, and shewn his Sincerity by behaving himself, in all
respects, as
became such an one, during that short Time which was allowed him, after He was
called to the Knowledge and Faith of Christ; that this Malefactor, I say, having
acted thus, was accepted upon the ordinary, known, Terms of the Gospel; not upon
the secret and hidden Will of Almighty God deviating from, or going beyond, the common Rules of the
Christian Institution, and that, therefore, this is no Instance
of Almighty God’s Acceptance of the Sorrow of a dying Man, instead of the 376Practice of Virtue during his Life; much less, an
Instance of his Acceptance
of those, on the Account of their Death-bed Sorrow, who have known and
professed
the Christian Religion through their whole Lives, and have wilfully and habitually
lived in express Contradiction to its Design, and its Precepts, during the Time of
that Profession.

UNDER the third Head, I shewed you that those Persons only are in the
Case of
this Malefactor, so as to argue to their own Satisfaction, from his Example, upon
any reasonable Grounds, who, whether living, or dying; whether in perfect Health,
or within the Prospect of Death; lay hold on the first fair Opportunity offered
them; and seriously consider the Evidence them is for the Christian Religion; and
sincerely receive it upon that Evidence; and openly profess themselves the Disciples
of Jesus Christ; and behave themselves, as becomes his Disciples, through the remaining
part of their Lives, whether long, or short. And such Persons as these, I need
not observe to you, would have 377been entitled to the Justification, and Favour,
promised in the Gospel,
upon the plain and express Words of our Lord and his Apostles; whether
there had been any such Instance, as this of the believing and penitent
Malefactor, recorded in
the Gospel, or not.

HAVING thus recalled to your Minds what I have already advanced, I may with the
more Advantage proceed to the fourth thing which I proposed, viz.

IV. To shew plainly the Extreme Unreasonableness, and great Danger, of the common
Mistakes about this Instance of God’s Mercy; and the Vanity of those Pretences
which some Men have built upon this Example. And here I shall mention particularly
the Mistakes of Two sorts of Persons: viz. The Mistake of those who misapply this
Instance to their own Ruin; and the Mistake of those who take occasion from it
to implant in others very wrong, and very pernicious, Notions, concerning Despair,
and Presumption.

I. FROM what hath been said, it manifestly appears how great, as well as fatal 378a Mistake that is, which some Persons have persuaded
themselves to entertain, from this Instance of the crucified Thief: that God will accept them
at last,
for the sake of a Death-bed Sorrow and Concern for their past Sins; though
they have been, all through their Lives, professed Christians, and have neglected to obey
those Laws, which they knew to be imposed upon them by the Christian Religion,
as the Rules of their Actions, The Weakness and extreme Folly of arguing at this
rate, from this Instance, will appear plainly to any one, who will seriously
consider the Case of such professed Christians; and compare it with what
hath been before said concerning the Case of that Malefactor, and the Conditions
of Acceptance laid down in the Gospel.

FOR it is evident, from the Account which I have given of both
these, that His Case was such as comes within the professed Terms of the
Gospel: upon which all
who lay hold on the Opportunity given them; and hear, and receive, and profess,
the Christian Religion sincerely; are 379accepted immediately to Favour, and released
from the Guilt of their former Sins. Whereas the Case of such professed Christians as I have been now speaking of, is
a condemned Case, upon the professed Terms of the same
Gospel. For if the
Gospel saith any thing at all, it plainly affirms this, that those Persons, who after they have received the Faith of Jesus
Christ, and been made Partakers of
this first Justification, do relapse into a Course, or Habit, of those Sins
which are condemned in the Gospel; and continue in that Course till Death overtake them:
that those Persons, I say, who do this, shall be excluded the Kingdom of Heaven;
and instead of God’s Favour, shall feel his Wrath, and
suffer the Vengeance of Eternal Fire. Now, as Almighty God did, in forgiving and accepting the believing
Malefactor, keep exactly to the Terms, which our blessed Lord had, in his Name, promulgated:
so, there is all the reason in the World to conclude that, in condemning and
punishing that other sort of Persons, who have contradicted and scandalized 380his Gospel, by their Behaviour during their Christian Profession, He will likewise keep close to the Terms which He hath,
in the
Gospel, set before
the Eyes of the World. And in this Gospel, there is another Law promulgated, as
the Rule of Judgment in the Case of such Persons. They are called to the Knowledge
of Christianity; they have time allowed them to live in the Practice of its
Precepts, and by that means to secure, and encrease, their future Happiness: and yet they
transgress its Commands; and, to all their repeated Affronts to God and his Laws,
they add the Assurance of imagining, and expecting, that He will deal with them,
as He deals with Men, who sincerely receive, and profess the Christian Religion; and do whatever they can, in that shorter
Time which is allowed them, to demonstrate
the Sincerity of their inward Belief, and outward Profession.

ALMIGHTY God doth all his Works
with the most exact Proportion: nor can
it easily be imagined that perfect Wisdom,
and perfect Power, can do otherwise. 381And there is no doubt, therefore, but that
He will
dispense his Rewards
and Punishments, with the greatest Equity, and Impartiality. Now can
it be consistent with any Rules of Equity and Proportion, to make those equal in a State of Retribution,
whose Cases, and Behaviour, have been vastly different, in a State of Tryal? But,
besides this it is sufficiently declared to us, in the Name of Almighty God,
that He will very much consider, what Light hath been afforded; what Powers
Persons
have enjoyed; what Time hath been al, lowed them; what Improvement they have made
of this Light; what use they have made of these Powers; and how they have spent
this Time; that they have had granted to them. And though He will very favourably
deal with those who enjoy lesser Degrees of Light, and Power; and no happy Opportunities
of Improvement; as Equity requires: yet this is far from Chewing that He will
be equally favourable to those who have enjoyed greater Advantages, and happier
Opportunities; and have made no other use of 382them, but to affront and dishonour both God, and Religion, the more, On the contrary, the only Ground of his Favour to the
former
sort, being their
want of Light, and Opportunity; this rather implies in it, that where he hath afforded
Light, and Opportunity, there He may justly, and will certainly, require a
strict
and severe Account of the Use and Improvement that have been made of them.

INDEED, in the Parable of the Labourers hired, at several Hours, into the
Vineyard, Matth. xx. 1. some have been
apt to think that the Method of Proceeding is such, as to encourage Christians
to
depend upon what they shall be able to do
in their last Moments; and to hope, on
the account of that, to be made equal, in the Favour of God, to those who have
served Him faithfully, through their whole
Lives; and so, to conclude that it is no great Matter, how long soever they
defer
their Repentance. This Parable I shall,
therefore, in my next Discourse, distinctly
and fully consider. At present, I shall only
observe, that it was chiefly intended to signify 383to the Jews, that Almighty
God would make the Gentiles equal to them, in all Privileges, if they did, in the
last Age of the World (as the
Gospel-Age is called) accept the Invitation given them; and believe, and obey, the
Doctrine of the Gospel: which Interpretation wholly takes away the Ground of the
Objection. And, as far as it can be supposed to concern particular Persons, I must
observe,
that it can only signify that God will reward all such with his Favours, as do,
whenever they are called to the Knowledge of the Gospel, heartily embrace it, and
readily obey the Precepts of it, how little Time soever be allowed them for so doing.

BUT can any one, though never so willing to be imposed upon,
in this Case, find out, I will not say in this Parable, but in the whole
New Testament, any Reward for those who are called to the Knowledge of the Gospel
in the beginning of their Lives, in the first Hours of their Day; and yet
either refuse to come in, upon so gracious an Invitation; or else, professing
to obey that Call, and entering themselves into 384his Religion, and pretending to accept the Terms offered by
our blessed Lord, not
only prove useless and negligent of their
Lord’s Honour and Service: but even spend
that Time which is due, upon their own
Contract, to the Service of their Master,
in ruining his good Designs; in dishonouring his Name; in abusing their Fellow-Servants; or in
some other sort of Practice,
detrimental to their Matter’s true Interest, or inconsistent with the Office which they
have taken upon themselves? Where do
we read of any such Servants as these, rewarded and honoured, at last, by their
Master? Whenever we meet with the mention
of any such in the Gospel; it is with a very
sad Conclusion, at the End of their Story:
and this merely for not improving the Talents committed to them; for the neglecting to do God positive Service in their
Stations; for not using the Opportunities,
and Abilities, put into their Hands by Providence, for their own Eternal Interest, and the
Honour of their great Master? How much more shall this heavy Sentence be pronounced upon
such as not only have not improved 385the Time, and Abilities, and Advantages, put into their Hands; but have likewise
used this Time, and these Abilities, and Advantages,
which God in mercy hath afforded them, to the Disservice of Himself, and the Disgrace of his holy Religion; doing very great
Mischief by their
Example and Influence; affronting God, and making his Enemies to blaspheme?
Where do we read, all through the Gospel, of any such Person, after a Continuance
of Affronts and Indignities offered to Almighty God, during his Christian
Profession, accepted at last to Mercy, on Account of the Sorrow of his dying Hour? That
which hath, most of all, inclined Men to be deceived in this Case, is the
Instance of the crucified Malefactor; and this Instance, we have now evidently
seen, to be at the greatest distance from any Likeness to the Case of such as are
professed Christians, and live on, in a Course of Sin, under the Influence of so groundless an
Expectation. How great, therefore, as well as fatal,
must the Mistake of those be, who being Christians, and having many and continued Opportunities 386of living worthy of that Name,
still continue wilfully in their Sins; and argue themselves into a fond Expectation of God’s Mercy at
last, from an Instance which bears no manner of relation to the Condition, and
Circumstances, in which They are?

2. I SHALL now mention another Mistake, which is usually founded upon the
Instance of the crucified Malefactor: and
that is, the Mistake of those, who do not,
indeed, make any ill use of it in the Conduct of their own Lives; but yet make use
of it, to encourage the Presumption, and
prevent the Despair, of dying Sinners, who
have lived all their Lives long, in the Profession of Christianity, and in the Violation
of its Laws; and this, to the great Prejudice of other Christians who survive
them. This Mistake, I confess, as far as it is founded upon this Instance, is so much the same,
with the former, in the Ground of it, that
it can hardly be reckoned as distinct from
it: and it hath been sufficiently confuted,
under this View, by what I have said, upon
the former, to shew that this Instance toucheth not the Case of such professed Christians. 387But, as it is applied to another Purpose; and as it is not only founded
upon this Example of the crucified Malefactor, but upon
very wrong, and groundless, Notions concerning Presumption and Despair it seems to deserve a particular,
and distinct place, in the present Debate, as it will give occasion for the
settling
the true Nature of those Two Dispositions of Mind: the misunderstanding of which hath certainly been the reason of representing
what is generally called
Despair,
as the greatest of Sins; and of making what is truly a criminal Presumption,
to be a necessary Duty.

Now here I shall lay down one Proposition, which is sufficient to determine
this Matter: viz. That these Two Dispositions of Mind must be judged of, by the
professed Terms of the Gospel: and not by any supposed Possibilities. And, according
to these, I think it is evident that for One who hath, against all the Calls of
God’s Spirit, and all the Checks of his own Conscience, continued to live in a constant
Course of Sin; for such an one, I say, to hope, with any sort of Assurance, that
God will bring him388to the Happiness, promised in the Gospel only to Holiness and Righteousness, is not a virtuous Hope; because it is an Hope
without any Ground, or
solid Foundation: but is a vain, and groundless Presumption; and
such a Presumption, as seems,
in truth, to affront Almighty God, by supposing that He will depart, for this Man’s Sake, from his own declared and professed
Terms. And, on the contrary, for
such
an one to Despair; that is, to think that He, having continued through the Time
of his Health, and Conversation in the World, an habitual Sinner; and being that
wicked Man, whom the Gospel constantly, and in multitudes of Passages, condemns; that
He, I
say, being such an one, shall be condemned at the great Day, as the
Gospel saith: This is indeed his Misery; but is so far from being his Sin, that
I do not see, if He believeth the Gospel, how He can possibly avoid thinking
so.
But, as if it were of no Importance to be guided by the Declarations of the
Gospel
it self, in this great Affair; dying Christians have lived a Life of habitual
and wilful Wickedness; have been 389led into such Notions of these Two Things, that they have come to
think this groundless Presumption their Duty: and, what is of worse consequence, many By-standers have been fatally corrupted into a Security in sinning, by
the
same Expectations
from this unreasonable Confidence in God. Whereas there is nothing in this Confidence
that can alter, or affect, the Nature of Things: nor is there any Passage in the
whole New Testament, which recommends such a Confidence, in such Circumstances; or
which implieth in it, that it is the Duty of such Persons, or any Advantage to
them in the Eyes of God, to be confident of those Mercies, of which, in truth,
He hath solemnly declared they shall never partake.

IT is true; that many of the best sort of Christians may, in a low and afflicted
Condition, entertain an unreasonable and groundless Despondency, or Despair. They
may imagine that they have not been those Christians, who shall be rewarded at
last; and be filled with very melancholy Apprehensions concerning their future Condition.
But this Imagination of theirs cannot affect 390their future State: which will be determined by that God who knows
all things as they are; and will deal with them, according to what they really have
been; not according to what they imagine themselves to have been. And this Imagination,
proceeding from an Excess of Humility, or from bodily Disorder,
is only their present Unhappiness; not their Sin: and is removed far from them, as
soon
as they themselves are removed out of this State. Whereas the Despondency of those professed Christians, who have resolutely continued wicked
to the last, is truly well grounded upon the Gospel-Declarations; and, as it is
so, is likewise part of their Punishment,
begun in this World, in the inward Torment of their own Minds: which, if it might
be removed from them, upon any Promise, or Declaration of God, I should most
willingly do it. But who would dare to incite them to assure themselves of the
Favour of that God, who hath so plainly declared, that, They shall not see his
face; and that He will be to such Sinners a consuming Fire.

391

NAY, is it not to bring a lasting Disgrace upon the
Cause of Virtue,
to teach that the confident Assurance of the most profligate Sinner,
when He comes to die, (perhaps, a more confident Assurance than the best of Christians commonly have,) shall set him as much
out of the reach
of God’s Displeasure; and in as secure a Condition; as that of the most
virtuous Persons, who have spent their whole Lives in the Contemplation, and
Practice, of the Laws of Christianity. The Gospel is far from saying any such
thing: and, therefore, the Preachers of the Gospel must likewise be far from
entertaining the Consciences of Christians with any such Fancies; who, if they
have any Sense themselves, will not easily swallow such unreasonable Doctrines.

I GRANT, indeed, that the best thing which the most wicked of Christians
can do, when they come within View of Death; and what all about them ought
to encourage them to do; is to make themselves as sensible, as they possibly can,
of the Evil of their
past Ways; to move themselves, upon the best Considerations,
to abhor and detest 392them: and solemnly to warn all about them from the Paths, in which themselves have walked. But, after all this, who could
say that these
Persons have
come up, in any tolerable degree, to the Terms of the Gospel? Or, who could
encourage any such notorious Sinners to assure themselves of the Mercy of God,
unless a plain Text of Scripture, or Law of Reason, could be found, suitable to their
Case, or promising them Happiness? They must still be left (as far as
the Gospel hath concerned it self) in the State, in which That pronounceth
wilful and habitual Sinners to be. The utmost that can be said is, that they
must be left
to the uncovenanted Mercies of God: and the highest degree of hope which
they can have, must be founded upon this, that Almighty God may possibly depart from his
settled Method; and recede from the Terms which He hath openly professed, for
the sake of those, who have lived, Year after Year, in an open Violation of his
Laws; against all the Checks of their Consciences, and all the Calls of his
Gospel. Which let them believe, who can swallow, and embrace, 393
any Absurdities, rather than forsake their Sins.

HAVING, as I hope; very evidently shewn
that there is nothing, in this Instance of the believing and penitent Malefactor, which can, with the least Colour of Reason,
encourage any, who have been,
through many Years, professed Christians, and habitual Sinners, to depend upon the
Sorrow of their Death-beds, for Acceptance with God; and having thus finished what
I proposed to discourse of from this Example: I shall now take occasion to enquire
whether, in the nature of the thing it self; there be any greater Ground for Hope,
than We have seen, there is in the Instance We have been considering. And this,
I think, will be very proper, not only because the Subject naturally enough leads
us to it; but because it is very observable, that one great Support of such unhappy
Persons, as go on in a Course of Sin, and yet retain some Sense of Religion, and make Profession of Christianity,
is the Hope which they have placed in the Sorrow of their Death-beds, as if
there were some peculiar Charm, 394and Efficacy, in that,
above any other Sorrow, (which they falsly call Repentance,) conceived, or expressed,
in any other Part of their Lives.

Now, in what is it that this last Sorrow hath the Advantage over any other?
in what it agrees with the Sorrow, and Regret, which a Man hath felt in the Time
of his Health, it cannot be preferred before it: because it differs not from it.
And in what it really differs from it, I fear, it will be found to have the Disadvantage
on its side. For, it seems to me that it is much less likely to be sincere, or such as
would, upon Trial, prove effectual, than the other: it being probably
rather extorted by the Prospect and Fear of Death, than by the Persuasion of Reason;
and frequently accompanied with such Terrors, as make it rather a Distraction,
than a rational Grief; or a conscientious Sorrow. Whereas, a Regret and
Concern for past Sins, in Time of Health, and whilst a Man hath not so near a Prospect of a State of Retribution,
may be supposed more sincere, and more likely to influence Him: because it may 395
justly be thought to be more the Result of Reason, and Judgment; and rather proceeding from a well-grounded Persuasion of
the Man’s own Mind, and the just Consideration
of the Nature of Things, than from the terrible Dread of immediate Punishment.

AND yet how is this last Sorrow usually preferred; and accounted of a more
excellent Nature than any of the former? One would think, merely because it
is the last. Whereas that can make no difference in the Eyes of God: who always
judgeth truly from the nature of the Thing; and not from the Time, or any of
those inconsiderable Circumstances, which often hide the true nature of things from mortal, Eyes,
and finite Understandings. Nay, we our
selves cannot judge whether our own
present Sorrow, and Compunction, be of that nature as that they would work
in us true Repentance and Amendment; were we entrusted with more Opportunities
of making the Trial. And this is another Reason why we should build nothing upon it, either in our own
Case, or that of others; because, even 396supposing that it would be sincere, and
effectual in its Influences, were more Time allowed; yet this is a Matter wholly out of the reach of our Knowledge,
and wholly impossible for us to judge of.

BUT, indeed, it is a very material Observation, that wicked Men have much less
reason to think this last Sorrow thoroughly and undoubtedly sincere, than they
have heretofore had to think any of their former Sorrows so; which yet, they know,
have ended in nothing considerable. There
are few professed Christians, even amongst
the wickedest of them, who have not, one time or other, had some just and
concerning Thoughts about that Course of Sin, and
those wilful Vices, in which they have indulged themselves; who have not, one
time or other, detested and resolved to forsake them, in the Days of their Health and
Prosperity; when they had nothing to
move them but the Nature of the thing,
and the great Reasonableness of receiving, and obeying the Gospel. If, therefore,
they have found that Regret, and Concern,
which they have had, in the best Season, 397and which had so good Ground for it, to come to nothing; to vanish into
Air; and leave no good Influence, nor shew any Power, upon their
Lives and Actions: upon what Accounts can they think, That Sorrow would have any
better, or more lasting Effect, were the Trial made, which for aught they know,
is wholly owing to the present Fear of Death, and the near Prospect of a future
Punishment; and consequently will most probably vanish, when that Fear, and that
Prospect, are removed from them?

THEY will, I dare say, acknowledge no such Sorrow of a sick Bed, to be of any Effect, if they recover, and relapse to their
former Sins. And how many such Instances have they seen in others? And how often have they themselves
relapsed, after
a better, and more reasonable, Sorrow, than this can be esteemed? And how then
can they so flatter themselves, as to imagine that this last and unproved, Sorrow; is truly
sincere; and would be truly effectual, were Opportunity given it to shew its
Power, and
display its Influences: when they 398have not one probable Argument
on their side, to give Ground for such an Imagination; but great Presumptions,
and much Experience, against it. So that there is no Foundation for such a Supposition: and yet, without
it, there is not the least Shadow of Hope, to
support them. How miserably deluded, therefore, must they be, who thus rely upon
a Reed; who thus build all their Hopes, and all their Expectations of Happiness, upon that which is of a weaker nature,
than what, they have experienced, to
have deceived them already; who would fain escape Misery, and attain to Happiness,
and yet will take none but a desperate Method, and such an one, as will
too certainly disappoint and cheat them at last!

AND that they, who indulge themselves in the Habit of any sort
of Sin, may be
the more effectually sensible of this, I would ask them, whether They believe
that Almighty God will punish any sort of Persons in another State; or whether there are any Men in this World now, who shall
be condemned, at the
great Day, to that miserable 399State which is threatned in the Gospel. If they pretend not to believe any such thing as this; why are they in
such
Fears, and in so great Concern, about it? Why do the Terrors of the Lord oppress them? And why do they betray
so much Uneasiness,
at the Thoughts of appearing before Him? But if they do believe that thus it shall
be with some sort of Persons, (as they appear to do by their Presages, and Apprehensions;)
I would then ask, Who, they think, they are, that than inherit most of the Anger of God in that future State. Surely,
They, who, upon the account of
their whole Lives, do most deserve it. And who are they that most deserve it? It
must be either the Wilful Sinners of the unbelieving World; or the Wilful Sinners,
who are professed Christians, and enjoy the Light, and Assistance, of Christ’s
Gospel. And which of these Two do most deserve it, is too evident to need many
Words. For who can be so unreasonable as to think that They who sin not against
so clear Light, and so evident a Divine Authority to the contrary, are in a more
desperate 400Condition, than those who are, or may be, fully acquainted with God’s Will; who agree to the Reasonableness of it; who profess
to fulfil it; and yet
live, through their whole Lives, in express Contradiction to it? No, certainly,
if our Saviour speak Truth; or if the Rule of Equity be consulted; They shall
be beaten with most Stripes, who have known their Master’s Will, and have not done
it; They, who have had all fair Opportunities for Reformation, and the Practice of
Virtue; and have abused them all to the Purposes of Vice.

IF, therefore, They shall be most miserable in another State, who have most
deserved it, as without doubt they shall:
tell me, I beseech you, who can deserve it
more than the Christian, who hath the greatest Favours, and Obligations, bestowed
upon Him; the holiest Law to govern Him; the brightest Light to direct
Him; the most powerful Assistance to strengthen Him; and yet goes on to sin,
against all the Obligations, and all the
Engagements, and all the Motives, to the
contrary, which are contained in his Profession. 401And consequently, unless you will suppose, and maintain, that
there shall be no such thing as Punishment in another World; but that
all shall equally, either sink into nothing, or be made happy; you must be
persuaded of this, as of a certain Truth, that the wicked Christian, who continues a wilful Sinner, under the Cloke
of his holy Profession, is the Person, who, because He
most of all deserves this Punishment, shall therefore most undoubtedly inherit
it. Nor can his Grief, when He comes within View of it, alter the Case: for Grief is not Holiness, nor
Virtue; nor probably would it end in the Practice of them: and these are the Things
required of Christians, in the Time of their Health, and during their Conversation
in this World. But I need not, I hope, add any more Words in order to represent
to you the Vanity and Weakness of that fatal Mistake of some wilful Sinners, that
the Sorrows which they reserve to be expressed upon their Death-beds, will atone
for the profligate, and unchristian, conduct of their whole past Lives.

402

AND now, Christians, what shall we say to these Things? Shall
not all that hath been urged to shew the Unreasonableness of those Hopes which are built
upon any such Pretence, as I have now been examining, separated
from a Life of Righteousness,
and true Goodness: shall it not, I say, move us all to lay hold on the present Opportunity; and to
work out our Salvation, whilst the Day lasts;
because the Night cometh,
(the Night of Sickness, and of Death,) when no Man can work? How
happy would it
be for us, would we be induced to live as becomes Christians; and worthy of
that holy Name by which we are called; and of that Divine Master, to whom
We have given up our selves? This is the Thing required of Us, who have Time
allowed us to shew the Sincerity of our Faith and Profession: and this alone it
is, that can entitle us to the Favour of God, and the Rewards of Heaven. If we
be in earnest seeking after Happiness; let us not take the Road which leads to certain
Misery:
but that good Path which our Lord himself 403hath marked out to us,
both by his Example, and his Precepts; which, will infallibly bring us to his Heavenly Kingdom.
Amen!